all the Confederate troops had succeeded in crossing Leadbetter
caused to be exploded two hundred pounds of powder, with a view of
blowing up the east span of the bridge. The explosion did not do
the work, hence the drawbridge at the east end was fired, to complete
its destruction.( 9) But few captures were made. Leadbetter also
abandoned his camp east of the river, and was forced to abandon
two guns placed in position on the east bank. One of the Andrews
raiders of the 33d Ohio, who, to save himself from capture and
punishment, had joined Captain Kain's battery, and was acting as
artillery sergeant with the two guns captured, hid under the river
bank and signalled his desire to be allowed to surrender. He was
permitted to cross over to us, and, his old regiment being present,
he at once rejoined it.

Mitchel moved his command on Bridgeport with great rapidity and
skill, but he showed a nervous temper, which gave the impression
that in a great battle he would become too much excited for a
commanding officer.

Just after Leadbetter's retreat a body of cavalry appeared below
Bridgeport in an open field, not knowing the place had been taken,
and would have been captured had Mitchel not ordered them fired on
before they came near enough to be cut off.

I was sent on the morning of the 30th, in command of a detachment,
across the Tennessee to reconnoitre towards Chattanooga. We
improvised rafts from logs and timber to carry the men, and a few
horses for mounted officers were forced into the stream, and by
holding their heads to the rafts compelled to swim the east channel
of the Tennessee. We secured the two guns mentioned, some muskets
and supplies at the enemy's camps, and found evidence of a hasty
flight of the Confederates. By a detour we came into a valley
flanked to the east by Raccoon Mountain, and we visited a large
saltpetre works at Nick-a-Jack Cave. These works we destroyed by
breaking the large iron kettles and by burning all combustible
structures. A portion of the detachment was sent under cover of
the thick woods to the railroad east of Shellmound, a station near
the river, where we expected to cut off a train of cars engaged in
loading, for removal, supplies of provisions. The engineer, a few
moments before the party reached the railroad, had run his engine
to a water-station located east of the point of our intersection,
and it thus escaped capture. We, however, captured one captain
and abo